Highlights: Michigan 35, Maryland 10

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12Nov 2017
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Michigan 35, Maryland 10

Zach Gentry (image via WTOP)

That is what we expected. I’ve seen a fair amount of consternation about Michigan “only” winning by 25 points, which I find to be somewhat humorous. I picked a 31-10 win in Friday’s preview, and I saw some other predictions that were in the general vicinity. A 25-point win for the Wolverines isn’t anything to shake a stick at, and yet people were complaining. Michigan went up 28-0 before being outscored 10-7, but that’s a blip. This is a young team at most spots, and expecting them to completely obliterate Maryland seemed like a stretch. This isn’t a team that should be expected to squeeze out a 56-0 win against the Terrapins, who have some talent. One reason is . . .

The injuries are mounting. Michigan is in somewhat of a precarious position going into games against Wisconsin and Ohio State over the next two weeks. Aside from missing a starting LT (Grant Newsome), the starting QB (Wilton Speight), and the #1 WR (Tarik Black) with long-term injuries, the Wolverines were without the starting RG (Mike Onwenu) and a part-time starting RB (Ty Isaac), and in this game, they lost starting RB Karan Higdon, DE Rashan Gary, LB Mike McCray, and CB Lavert Hill for stretches. In the latter stages of this game, Michigan was down 8 players that should be starting (plus Ty Isaac, who was the leading rusher until recently). Every team goes through injuries, but not many teams find a 25-point win disappointing when that many players are injured.

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10Nov 2017
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Preview: Michigan at Maryland

RUSH OFFENSE vs. MARYLAND RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan has moved up to #29 nationally with 213 yards/game on the ground. They’re #38 in rushing average (4.98 yards/carry). Junior running back Karan Higdon has taken the lead with about 30 more carries than the top two other backs, and he’s now on pace to top 1,000 yards for the season (804 yards, 10 TDs). The Wolverines ran the ball all over Minnesota last week, with nearly 400 yards on the ground and three 60+ yard runs (2 by Chris Evans, 1 by Higdon). Michigan has improved its run blocking up front, partly due to the insertion of Juwann Bushell-Beatty at right tackle a few weeks ago. Maryland, meanwhile, is #77 in rush defense (175 yards allowed/game) and in yards per carry allowed (4.46). The leading tackler is senior linebacker Jermaine Carter, Jr. (6’0″, 228 lbs.) with 59, but the next three leading tacklers are all defensive backs. The leading tackler for losses is sophomore nickelback Antoine Brooks, Jr. (5’11”, 210) with 7.5, followed by Carter’s 6.0. Altogether, the Terrapins are tied for #81 in tackles for loss with 49 so far. They run a hybrid 3-4/4-3 with a standup Buck linebacker who plays like a weakside end. Coming off a week in which Michigan ran for almost 400 yards and Maryland gave up 239 rushing yards to Rutgers, the Wolverines should be in decent shape.
Advantage: Michigan

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9Nov 2017
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2020 Recruiting Update: November 8, 2017

Baltimore (MD) St. Frances RB Osman Savage (image via Twitter)

Here’s a post that has been sitting here as a draft for a few weeks, with a couple more recent updates.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2020

Baltimore (MD) St. Frances defensive end Chris Braswell was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 211 lb. prospect with offers from Maryland, Navy, and Syracuse. He plays for Biff Poggi, father of Henry, at St. Frances.

New Caney (TX) New Caney cornerback Dwight McGlothern was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 161 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, and Oregon, among others. He had 30 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 12 pass breakups as a freshman on varsity in 2016.

Baltimore (MD) St. Frances running back Osman Savage was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 225 lb. jumbo running back with offers from Maryland and Syracuse. He’s a teammate of Braswell (see above). Savage could also end up at linebacker.

Franklin (TN) Franklin offensive tackle Jake Wray was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #10 offensive tackle, and #98 overall. He visited Michigan for the game against Minnesota last weekend.

OFF THE BOARD

Aledo (TX) Aledo running back Jase McClellan committed to Oklahoma. McClellan goes to Aledo, which produced Michigan freshman lineman Chuck Filiaga, but it’s always tough for Michigan to get guys from the Longhorn State.